Location: Firebase Dagger—Ontarom
Firebase Dagger stood on high alert as ex-Cerberus agent Selina York, flanked between two N7's, was paraded for all to see. The poor girl looked ready to cry but her stiff upper lip held as she walked in shackles.
Liam turned away from the spectacle and found Brock attempting to impress Hackett with his immaculate uniform. To anyone else, Hackett would have looked the epitome of attentive, but Liam could see the cold burn of detachment in his eyes. Hackett was probably thinking what they all were. What the fuck happened to Cerberus?
The Admiral shot covert glances towards the waiting special prisoner frigate every time Brock gestured to a shiny medal on his chest. Only Flores kept her eyes on the prisoner as she disappeared up the steps.
Wisps of sand slapped Liam's cheek and irritated his eyes as he stepped forward. He was more than ready to say goodbye to the desert planet but that wasn't happening until he was finished business with Gianna. The last thing the Alliance wanted was to appear inhospitable to Noverian Intelligence. At least that's the way Hackett and Flores phrased it.
Flores finally tore her gaze from the frigate and narrowed them to Hackett. Liam tried to catch her eye but she was deliberately avoiding everyone to the point where Ellie kept shooting him nagging looks, urging him to break the ice.
Thankfully the Admiral beat him to it. "Flores," Hackett greeted, dismissing Brock as he returned the customary salute from the crew assembled around her. "I can't tell you what this means."
"I wish I could," Dana replied. She sounded momentarily zoned out, as if her voice were not her own.
Liam frowned at the vague response while Hackett seemed to consider her words. The silence waned as he spoke again. "We have the plans for the prototype. York has agreed to cooperate and complete this weapon in exchange for a light probationary period before reinstatement."
The last bit caught Liam by surprise. What Cerberus did was nothing short of treason, reinstatement was unheard of let alone a part of the package. But it was Dana who said it out loud, "reinstatement?"
"That's unacceptable!" Preston yelled, only to shut up under Hackett and Flores' combined glare .The older man backed off and took his anger out on the officers below him. "Back to the ship. Let's give the Captain some room."
Glen, Casey and Ellie retreated, exchanging furtive glances but refraining from being too informal before the Admiral.
Liam began to follow but Hackett stopped him. "Shepard, you had a part in her cooperation?" Hackett asked, fishing for friends.
"Traitors don't get reinstated," Dana said curtly, bringing the conversation back on track.
Hackett took a deep breath. "They do when they hold the key to unlocking a game changer. You know that, Dana."
"And then what?" she challenged, crossing her arms in disdain. "She learns all our secrets and reports back to Cerberus? Then you'll pull me from important work and send us on a goose chase to correct your mistakes."
"Captain..." Shepard said in a tenative voice, hoping she wouldn't say something she would regret.
Hackett looked around, thankful to see that everyone else was too busy gossiping about the prisoner to witness a standoff. "We don't have a choice."
"Like hell you don't!" Flores growled, getting right into his face. "Rip that graybox from her head and finish this."
Liam felt useless standing between his mentor and a woman he admired. But he was rooted to the spot, trying to understand her sudden anger while mitigating his own. This was a betrayal by the Alliance, but nothing he wasn't used to. Enemies became friends when necessary. Adapt or die.
"I hear you," Hackett said. "But this is an Alliance Parliamentary decision. My hands are tied."
"Mine aren't." Dana began to storm away.
"What if it was Elena?" Hackett asked, before she could get too far away. "What if she was the one who promised to help us make thermal weapons, would you condemn her too?"
Dana stopped and turned back to them with fire in her eyes. Something in that expression barely looked human anymore, nothing but rage was left. She took a step towards them. "My sister ran. She chose her future."
Liam felt his jaw slacken at the words. This was the same woman who was worried sick about her sister for the past couple of months, now she was at the end of her rope. Hackett seemed to be on the same page as his shoulders deflated and his posture eased. Liam recognized his stance as one of an exhausted father rather than the authority Hackett normally was. Few people got to see him like this.
"Shepard," Hackett began, bringing his hands from behind his back in a pacifying gesture. "We need you in top form for what's coming next."
"What's coming next, sir?" Liam asked, trying to take some heat off his Captain.
"Christmas." Hackett looked between them appraisingly. "I want all of you to have a good shore leave that's why your vacation starts when you dock at the Citadel for 0600 hours tomorrow morning."
The relief was instantaneous. He knew the crew was eying the Citadel as a vacation spot this year, but with so many ships requesting leave there no one knew if theirs would be approved. Now here was Hackett, literally spelling it out for them. It felt great, though it would have been better if Dana didn't look like she was sizing the Admiral up for a coffin.
When it was clear that no thanks would be forthcoming, Liam stepped in, "thank you, sir. We'll be there."
The Admiral's heavy gaze fell to him like it had many times when Liam was just a kid. That mixture of pride and deep seated concern Hackett always reserved for the Shepards seemed to liven him. "Take care," Hackett said with a nod, glancing to Dana. "Both of you."
When Hackett was gone Liam felt her eyes on him. He wanted to ask if she was okay but she spoke first. "Think you can finish this fishing expedition with Parasini?" She asked, her tone more controlled than it had been with the Hackett.
Liam nodded and began to walk with her. The epitome of calm that commanded her crew returned to her features while the anger receded back beneath her mask. It wasn't hard to imagine what emotions she was trying to keep at bay, but like everything else she didn't seem big on sharing them. Not anytime soon at least. "Yeah, we're close to wrapping up. She's following some leads on who had access to the bodies; I'm running background checks on the suspects in question."
"Good, keep me posted," she ordered and cut away from him.
o~O~o
Location: ExoGeni HQ—Endeavor Colony—Ontarom
Despite wearing stilettos, Gianna Parasini swept through the lobby full speed, forcing Liam to pick up the pace as they bee-lined for ExoGeni's restricted personnel lifts. A group of human security guards stood with their jaws on the floor, unsure of what to do as the beautiful agent strode up to them.
Gianna wore the seductive indigo v-neck gown like she was born in it. A slender part down her right thigh kept their eyes busy and their brains dead. She was dressed liked she belonged in some fancy restaurant or a boring Opera. He felt horribly under-dressed next to her in simple battle dress blues and windbreaker.
"Mind filling me in?" Liam asked, flashing military credentials and disgusted looks to any guards that thought they could cop a feel as they closed ranks around them.
"We're going to cut off some heads. Think you can handle that?" she asked in a voice only he could hear. As security got in his face, she sneaked away and pressed the elevator call button.
"I don't care who you're with, you make an appointment when you wish to see the director," a large bald guard barked, standing toe-to-toe with Liam. Their expensive suits didn't look bullet proof. But the last thing he wanted was a blood bath.
When the elevator arrived, one of them finally realized Gianna wasn't just a pretty face and made a grab for her. Liam intercepted, twisting the man's hand before it could touch her bare shoulder and dropping him flat. His buddies reached for their pistols but he was faster and kept the Paladin trained on their leader. "Tell your boys to relax."
"Not gonna happen," the bald prick challenged.
Liam shot him in the arm. The man shrieked as the other four instinctively reached for their guns."I'm not going to ask you again. Stay here, relax and don't do anything stupid."
The bald one squirmed on the floor, basically in the fetal position as he cradled his arm. The others put their hands up.
"Are you coming or what?" Gianna called, seemingly unfazed by all the violence as she stepped into the lift.
Liam slowly backed in as the doors slid shut. Gianna hacked the security overrides for the penthouse office and leaned against the wall, arms resting on the railing behind her.
He took the time to check his weapon, trying not to think of the two months of rehab and bio-reconstruction he had just subjected baldy to. "Are you going to talk or do we have to play twenty questions?"
Her lips parted in a sultry grin that showed off her brilliant white teeth. "I would've given you more time, except you said that you were leaving tomorrow. So I had to work fast." She reached over and flattened the rough collar of his service blues. "Too bad, I would've loved to see you in a suit."
Shepard smirked. Twenty minutes ago she called him to meet her in this lobby, now they were both trailing a warpath to the top and he was following her no questions asked. It made him sick to think of how easily he was being used by Noverian Intelligence, but her dazzling attire made it easy to mitigate the pain. "Come on, Gianna," he said, watching as they passed the halfway point. "Stop playing games and tell me what we're really doing here."
"Those background checks you did... well it turns out everyone in those body bags worked for ExoGeni. I started interviewing families and got tired of being stonewalled," she relayed, her eyes following the slow ascent of the numbers. "So here we are."
His brow dipped. "I ran the backgrounds myself. Those people have legitimate next of kin who would want to know the truth."
"You'd think, but they were painfully very evasive with my questions," she said. "I couldn't figure out why, until I looked at their finances."
"By looked you mean...?" he teased, knowing that Novarian Internal Affairs played by their own rules.
"Forget what I mean." She winked. "All I'm saying is that one man, a senior executive at ExoGeni, seemed to be very generous this holiday season and gave the families of our deceased suspects an incredible bonus of 2.5 million credits each."
Liam whistled. "Santa clause is coming to town."
"In droves." She nodded, pushing a stray lock from her up-do behind her ear. "So I tracked down the executive, got to know him a little better." She motioned to her dress and he didn't need any help filling in the details. "After a few drinks he serenaded me with some interesting conspiracies. He was also generous enough to give me his source when I whipped out the cuffs."
The elevator dinged at the penthouse office and two armed guards greeted them. Like the idiots downstairs, these ones didn't bother with protective armor and while both were the sizes of young bears, neither looked very comfortable holding pistols. Liam holstered his weapon as Gianna kicked off from the wall.
"We're here to see Ethan Jeong." She eyed them both with authority. "Clearly, he's expecting us."
"Both of you need to come with us," the one on the right demanded, while his buddy played catchup and pointed his pathetic Raiku at Liam.
Shepard smiled wanly. "I don't like guns in my face, fellas."
The other man drew his weapon on Gianna in answer. "Move against the wall slowly."
"I don't like to see anyone threatening beautiful women either," Shepard said, this time addressing the supposed leader of the two.
"Awww, sweetie you shouldn't worry," she mocked, shooting Liam a playful smile. "Let's just see what these nice young men can do."
The guard before her shivered spontaneously and crashed the floor, out cold. His untrained friend looked down and ended up joining him when Liam clocked him in the face.
Parasini stepped over the fallen men, waving her stun omni-tool away. Liam grabbed their weapons in case they got any funny ideas. When she threw back the double doors, they were greeted with an office that resembled a furnished apartment rather than the workspace it was meant to be.
A meek wiry man with a bushy mustache and paper-thin physique held a pistol bigger than his body in wobbly hands. His desk tag displayed the name Ethan Jeong in gold stencils. "Stay back!"
Liam drew the Paladin and shot it out of his hands in the time it took the man to blink. Jeong yelped like a scared puppy and cowered, holding his injured wrist. "You can't do this to me! I'll take you to court! I'll sue the pants off of you!"
"Court, now there's an interesting place," Gianna said, taking measured steps towards Jeong as Liam kicked his gun away. "I'd love to see how you're going to explain your little plan to a judge." Her smile widened. "Even more so to the Board."
Jeong's beady eyes widened in fear as Liam hauled him up and pushed him into the regal leather chair behind his grand desk and tried not to laugh. Here they were, for all intents and purposes ready to cause him some great physical pain, but the man feared a bunch of suits more.
Liam stood behind Jeong with both hands on the chair's back while Gianna sat perched on the edge of the desk and raised her credentials. "Noverian Internal Affairs," Jeong spoke, looking mortified as he read. "I...I understand why you're here, but who is he?"
"My bodyguard," she replied casually sharing a look with Liam, "he knows Jujutsu, Ninjutsu and a few other Japanese words."
Liam tilted Jeong's chair back until the man was staring up at him. "So don't make me use them."
"Look...I...I never wanted to hurt anyone," Ethan stammered, "but I'm sick of Heyuan Genomics outsourcing their work to the asari. We're a human led industry we can't trust those aliens to do our work for us."
"So your solution was to frame Heyuan Genomics for misconduct by having your employees kidnap the asari scientists?" Gianna stated.
"No! Well...look I had the interests of the people in mind," Ethan cried, shaking as Liam cocked the chair back again.
The pieces were starting to fall into place, but so far Liam didn't care about his corporate agenda. Caplus Stark was mixed up in this web and he needed to know how.
"What about the kid?" Liam asked, gritting his teeth when he saw the blank look on the director's face. "Caplus Stark didn't go along with the plan so you guys murdered him?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jeong replied, eating a fist before he could deny another word. Blood sprouted from the impact and Liam felt the sting of chipped teeth on his knuckles but didn't care. Jeong tumbled to the carpet in a bloody mess.
"Hey!" Gianna yelled. "Shepard, relax."
Liam grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him up again. The director was still punch drunk and three front teeth where chipped, blood dripped from his nose as he worked his jaw. "I didn't do anything to him," Jeong replied weakly.
"Don't lie to me!" Liam yelled, swinging back only to feel her hand grasp his bicep while the tip of her omni-tool nudged his rib cage.
"Stop it," Gianna ordered, prying his arm away. "It's over. We need to make him pay and can't do that if he's dead."
"Yes...I'll pay...I've learn—"
"Shut up!" they shouted in unison. Jeong abruptly went quiet, heaving a relieved sigh when Liam opened his palms and let him drop to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
"You're my witness to this abu—" Jeong's speech ended when Gianna zapped him to sleep like she did the other guard.
Liam focused on his elevated breathing as the images of Stark and other dead kids invaded his mind. Their lifeless eyes calling out for help, among them his own son pleading for his life. Liam blinked them away and looked up to Gianna's concerned gaze. Her hand slid to his wrist, coaxing the Paladin from his grip. He felt cold at the loss of contact.
"Are you okay?" she asked, all earlier pretext of having a good time was gone. Instead she searched him for any clue as to what she just witnessed and seemed disappointed to find nothing.
"I'm fine," he replied, taking his gun back and slowly holstering it. The last thing he needed was pity.
Hurried voices sounded behind them. They both turned, ready for another showdown, only to relax when Noverian Intelligence officers swept in. "Friendlies, friendlies, weapons down people!"
Gianna kept a raised eye on him for a moment longer before she turned to address her colleagues. "He's over here. Get this piece of shit a nice pair of cuffs."
"The hell were you thinking, Gianna?" A rough scruffy man who was born and raised on burgers and fries stepped forward. His jacket held the Noverian Internal Affairs crest. "I told you to wait." He turned to Shepard. "Who the fuck is he?"
"I told you to keep up," she challenged, sliding from the table and keeping a hand on Shepard's shoulder to steady herself. "We got all we need from Jeong and you can thank Commander Shepard for that." She waved her omni-tool and started a transfer to his. "Now, we have to get going." She tugged on Shepard's wrist. "I promised the Alliance I'd have him home before bedtime."
Shepard didn't say a word as they sat alone in the open patio cafe just a few blocks from the ExoGeni building. The smell of burritos and other southern inspired foods stayed in the air as a sizable group celebrated on the other side. Liam and Gianna opted for privacy and took a small booth with the view of the colony's lantern-lit streets. Maintenance crew watered plants, brought the coconuts down from the palm trees and checked on the Christmas decorations.
"The only reason Stark agreed to do it was because his father needed a liver transplant," Gianna said softly, stirring the contents of her tea as she adjusted Liam's jacket snugly around her. "According to his mother, when Caplus told them of his plans they were horrified. They said he had a moral responsibility to make things right and stop the others from following the devils orders." She spared him a glance and eyeroll. "Religious types."
"He was just kid," Liam muttered, resting his chin over his clasped hands. "He didn't deserve to go out that way."
"Jeong may have been the mastermind, but it was the senior exec who did the recruiting for their little mission. When he learned that Stark backed out, he had him killed in the hospital. The father died later due to his health problems." Gianna took a sip and closed her eyes. "The mother wants nothing to do with ExoGeni or their bullshit. She wants to mourn her husband and son in peace, can't say I blame her."
"The fucker who did this—"
"Is under arrest, bagged and tagged before I came to join you at ExoGeni HQ," Gianna assured, rubbing his arm in a slow methodical gesture. "It's over."
He wanted to see the other culprit's face, know his name, maybe even take a few of his teeth. But you don't throw punches after a fight...the words of his own father echoed in Liam's mind.
She nudged his shoulder with her own. "Hey, quit being so gloomy. You get to go home in a couple of hours, celebrate the holidays with your family."
Just the thought of seeing Mikey again brought a smile to his face. The boy would be thirteen in just a few hours. Then another year would zip by and fourteen would be just around the corner. Time stopped for no one, especially those couldn't find it. "My son Michael is turning thirteen."
Parasini smiled adoringly. "That's so sweet. When?"
He smiled. "Christmas."
She nodded knowingly. "A miracle child."
"You could say that," Liam agreed, taking a sip of his espresso. The bitter taste made him cringe and her laugh. He didn't know why but at this moment he felt like he could tell her everything, a dangerous notion to someone who made intel their livelihood. But despite the rumors about Novarian agents, Gianna didn't strike him as someone that ruthless. "My wife—ex-wife, has a heart defect. This made pregnancy a huge risk."
Gianna listened, giving him the silent nod to continue as concern came back to her eyes.
"We were young and stupid. I backed her while her parents fought for immediate termination," Liam continued, feeling the lump in his throat bob with each swallow. "They were trying to save their daughter's life. I was fighting for my son." Liam smirked and shook his head to clear the sudden blur in vision. "Not once did I consider I might lose her."
"Hey," she whispered as her hand found his cheek and brushed away the light moisture. "What matters is that he's here. She's...here if she's an ex?" He nodded and clenched his jaw, stemming any further display of weakness. "They're both okay," Gianna said softly, sliding her hand to his shoulder. "What happened with Stark was a tragedy but he wasn't your son."
He listened to what she had to say and felt stupid for allowing himself to lose control like that. "You're right." Blinking away blur from his eyes, the glitter of gold on her finger caught his eye. "What about you? Mr. Parasini treating you to something special?"
She smiled and took the ring off. "Mr. Parasini is a great cover whenever I team up with the military."
"Ah," he sighed in understanding, "we'll it's no surprise you beat them off with a stick."
"You're so corny," she shoved him playfully and took another sip of her tea. "The truth is I didn't know what to expect. But I hate distractions so I prepare some of my own."
Liam smiled, it seemed like rumors of manipulating Bureau agents and frat boy soldiers disillusioned both sides. Nevertheless, he was glad to have worked with someone like Gianna. It helped to know there were people who cared about things other agencies swept under the rug.
"How do you celebrate the holidays?" Liam asked, not sure why he wanted to pry so much but curious at the same time.
She looked to her manicured hands, purple nail polish that matched her eye shadow. "The big guy you saw earlier, is my boss Gerald. He'll bring a big turkey to the office and declare a day of vigilant partying for us solo fliers. It's kind of like a tradition now," she looked to him with a wistful smile, "wouldn't miss it for the world." Shrugging her jacket from her shoulders, she began to get up. "I need to debrief in a few hours."
Liam rose with her. "Hey, look I'm sorry I'm a mes—"
"No," she said, shaking her head and patting his chest. "It's not that. I just want to get a head start on making sure that bastard fries." She handed him his jacket but Liam pushed it back towards her.
"Keep it. It's chilly tonight," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You sure?" She tapped the Lieutenant-Commander insignia on the lapels. "I kind of wanted to earn my rank."
"Positive," he replied, a little disappointed to see the beauty of the dress once again hidden from view as he followed her out. "So how long do you think Jeong will get?"
Gianna laughed. "He's not going to do time."
Liam stopped and looked to her confused. "We got the guy on record admitting to it."
"Yes," she came face-to-face with him, "but these corporate types have friends in high places. The whole ladder is corrupt. But you can be sure Jeong will be demoted to a shitty upstart colony and will never rise beyond that. Welcome to Noveria."
He felt the anger rise within him, but sighed it all away. Justice was a fleeting word, and like the Alliance, it was no surprise that those with the most intel or money held true power. "Un-fucking-believable."
"Believe it," she replied, folding her arms tightly around herself. "That's why I need a head start on destroying as much of their connections as possible. At the very least it'll send a message to any other asshole that tries bullying employees into this bullshit."
Her determination was intoxicating, but it felt good to see someone so passionate about their work. Perhaps in a few years she would turn hearts and minds about the Bureau...or perhaps varren would fly. He didn't know her true goals for the future but whatever they were he wished the agent well. "Give them hell, Gianna."
"I always do." She smiled then leaned in. Liam kept completely still as her lips met his cheek and she drew away, rubbing the faint lipstick mark she left. "I know you're investigating Cerberus so I thought I'd give you a heads up. They operate liberally on Omega. Check out the old refinery if you're ever curious."
Amused at her penchant for being in-the-know, he studied her carefully. "How did you—?"
"Do you really have to ask?" With a final wink over her shoulder she started to walk away. "Don't be a stranger Shepard."
